The only reason I can think of is that they observed what happened with the Germany/Argentina tie (Del Potro withdrawing), and are gambling on Djokovic to (a) play the Miami final and; (b) decide to risk against excessive fatigue and injury by flying back over to Europe and adjusting to a new surface within a few days.

Obviously the European clay court season begins straight after Miami, but Djokovic isn't due to compete again for another two weeks (Monte Carlo), and would probably want some rest before startiing his preparations. There is a good chance that he will miss Belgrade, making it clear that his intentions are to focus solely on the bigger events. Already this season we have seen that he is under huge pressure to maintain his world status, and so this particular Davis Cup tie probably isn't a major priority for him either.

Personally, I think it is quite a smart move, although it will only be clever if Djokovic withdraws!

The only reason I can think of is that they observed what happened with the Germany/Argentina tie (Del Potro withdrawing), and are gambling on Djokovic to (a) play the Miami final and; (b) decide to risk against excessive fatigue and injury by flying back over to Europe and adjusting to a new surface within a few days.

Obviously the European clay court season begins straight after Miami, but Djokovic isn't due to compete again for another two weeks (Monte Carlo), and would probably want some rest before startiing his preparations. There is a good chance that he will miss Belgrade, making it clear that his intentions are to focus solely on the bigger events. Already this season we have seen that he is under huge pressure to maintain his world status, and so this particular Davis Cup tie probably isn't a major priority for him either.

Personally, I think it is quite a smart move, although it will only be clever if Djokovic withdraws!

If the Czechs were gambling on Djokovic skipping the tie, they were smart to do so. Tipsarevic will lead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NyGeL

you think that Djokovic would've played if surface was hard?

Personally, I think that Djokovic wasn't intending to play the tie anyway. But I believe that if the surface were indoor hard, he might have been more tempted. He wouldn't really need to worry about transition to a new surface, and at least the points would be a little shorter, and the matches less physical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NyGeL

Playing on hard without Djokovic gives CZE more chances than clay.

Yes, definitely. But the Czechs were gambling on Djokovic being less interested if the tie were on clay.

Berdych is particularly vulnerable against Tipsarevic imo, and indoor hard court would have been a better surface for him for this match. Tipsarevic would be a greater threat on clay imo.

I'm not sure that the surface matters as much for Stepanek. Sure, his best surface is indoor hard courts, but I think he'd struggle to win either singles anyway. His only real hope is that Troicki is low on confidence at the moment, and has a tendency to choke in big atmospheres like these. He wasn't going to beat Tipsarevic anyway imo.

As for the doubles, Berdych & Stepanek are a formidable pairing, and surface matters less in doubles. The only greater danger with clay is that they might be more tired from the singles on Friday.

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Don't underestimate Berdych on clay. He grew up on that surface and has had good results on it. I actually think he has more chances on clay against Tipsarevic than a run-to-the-mill hardcourt, especially since it's indoor and knowing how fast it usually is there.
Berdych can't read Tipsarevic's serve, so with that out of the equation he can focus on the ground game where he'll get plenty of time to put him away. You had to have watched their previous meetings to know what I'm talking about. Plus it's indoor so that means he'll serve like a normal pro tennis player.

As for Stepanek, he's gonna be up to his usual tricks: win the doubles and just try and frustrate any of the singles players.

This tie is really close, I think it depends in what form Berdych and Tipsarevic are.

Don't underestimate Berdych on clay. He grew up on that surface and has had good results on it. I actually think he has more chances on clay against Tipsarevic than a run-to-the-mill hardcourt, especially since it's indoor and knowing how fast it usually is there.
Berdych can't read Tipsarevic's serve, so with that out of the equation he can focus on the ground game where he'll get plenty of time to put him away. You had to have watched their previous meetings to know what I'm talking about. Plus it's indoor so that means he'll serve like a normal pro tennis player.

As for Stepanek, he's gonna be up to his usual tricks: win the doubles and just try and frustrate any of the singles players.

This tie is really close, I think it depends in what form Berdych and Tipsarevic are.

I agree with you. Berdych's clay is excellent Stepanek's clay is also good

No surprises here for the singles players. For doubles, i would picked Zimonjic with Tipsarevic for Serbia. For Czech, i think they must leave Berdych in the bench for doubles. I will pick Stepanek who is incredible this season in doubles perhaps with Cermak, good specialist especially on clay.

No surprises here for the singles players. For doubles, i would picked Zimonjic with Tipsarevic for Serbia. For Czech, i think they must leave Berdych in the bench for doubles. I will pick Stepanek who is incredible this season in doubles perhaps with Cermak, good specialist especially on clay.

On the contrary, I think that Berdych MUST play doubles. Besides, he has a fantastic partnership with Stepanek, and those two will be favourites against whatever partnership Serbia produces for Saturday. Zimonjic is a quality doubles player, but a partnership with Troicki or Tipsarevic will not be as strong on paper.

The Czechs are practically reliant on Berdych winning THREE rubbers this weekend (and he can do that). Tipsarevic should beat Stepanek reasonably comfortably, although it doesn't help him to be playing the second rubber (after Berdych will surely beat Troicki). This will put him under a bit more pressure.

If the tie comes down to a fifth rubber with Stepanek vs. Troicki, you'd expect Stepanek to win a battle of skill and intelligence. However, you'd have to seriously doubt whether he'd have the conditioning to win the physical battle.